The comments are likely to raise eyebrows given that London's moneyed Russian elite form a core part of the clientele at Novikov, the premium Mayfair eatery named after its owner.

The 540-seater establishment takes more than £100,000 in sales everyday, according to Novikov, who said around a third of the £35-million-a-year turnover is profit.

Discussing his approach to customers, Novikov said: "I try to have the right mix of people in my restaurants and clubs. If there are too many Russians ... not enough English come. If there are too many English, not enough Russians comes."

Novikov lives in Chelsea, west London, with his wife Nadezhda Advokatova and their children Aleksandra, 22, and Nikita, 17. The couple are regularly spotted dining at The River Cafe, C London (formerly Cipriani) and The Dorchester.

Novikov has drawn parallels to Gordon Ramsay – who he describes as a "hero" – and has appeared as a judge on the Russian version of The Apprentice and MasterChef.

His fortunes can be traced back to the boom that followed the emergence of capitalism as the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s.

Novikov credits the turning point in his life to the moment when, as a young ex-serviceman living in Moscow, he applied for a job in a newly opened branch of McDonald's.

"I saw the advertisement that said 'McDonald's restaurant'. I thought it was a restaurant, not a burger place," Novikov told the Evening Standard.

He added: "I told the interviewer I could cook Italian and French food very well. They never called back."